1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a bolt which has a head which is not configured for receiving a conventional wrench and which does not have an axial receiving hole for receiving a screwdriver or Allen wrench so as to give the appearance that the bolt is riveted to the material to which it is attached. While embodiments of the invention is discussed below with respect to a system for mounting a motorcycle sissy bar, it will be appreciated that the present invention can be used in a wide variety of applications, including carrying loads and simple cosmetics.
2. State of the Art
Most Harley Davidson motorcycles have seats which lack backrests. While the seat will generally accommodate more than one person, the second rider often feels more secure if there is a backrest which the rider can hang onto when cornering and which will prevent him or her from falling off the back of the motorcycle if the motorcycle suddenly accelerates. Such backrests are commonly referred to as xe2x80x9csissy bars.xe2x80x9d
As the common terminology suggests, many people do not like to have xe2x80x9csissy barsxe2x80x9d mounted on their motorcycles. This is both due to the negative stereotype and the fact that the backrest often looks out of place on the motorcycle.
Most available backrests, however, are bolted onto the rear fender bar of the motorcycle. These backrests can take considerable time and effort to remove and reinstall. Thus, many people who utilize such back rests will leave the back rests on the motorcycle for prolonged periods of time. This is so even though the rider of the motorcycle often would prefer not to have the backrest visible when a passenger is not riding on the motorcycle.
Because such back rests are beneficial and there is the desire of many riders not to have them attached for long periods of time, the industry has produced backrests which can be removed without removing the mounting bolts. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,993,731 shows a backrest which may be attached to the motorcycle and locked into place when in use. When not in use, the backrest can be relatively quickly detached and removed from the motorcycle.
One common disadvantage with currently available removable back rests is that they have an appearance which many find to be unappealing, including knobs or bolts which stick out from the rear fender bar of the motorcycle. Additionally, in some embodiments, when the back rest is removed from the motorcycle, the hardware which the back rest attaches to is left on the motorcycle providing a look which many find objectionable. Additionally, many removable back rests do not securely engage the motorcycle and tend to rattle when the motorcycle is idling or being operated.
Finally, a common problem with many quick release back rests is that they can take considerable effort to remove from the motorcycle despite being xe2x80x9cquick release.xe2x80x9d They may require a key or other tool, or otherwise be difficult to use.
Thus, there is a need for an improved quick release system for motorcycle backrests. Such a quick release system for motorcycle backrest should be able to be mounted to the motorcycle quickly and with minimal effort on the part of the user. Such a quick release system for motorcycle backrests should also be secured on the motorcycle while in use. Additionally, such a system should be able to be removed from the motorcycle quickly and with little effort. Finally, the hardware used to attach the quick release system for motorcycle backrests should be configured so that the motorcycle looks as close as possible to the original equipment when the rider occasionally uses a detachable backrest is not readily apparent.
In the process of finding a better mechanism for mounting a motorcycle backrest, it has also been discovered that an improved bolt could be designed which provides an improved appearance over many bolt head, and which can be used to give the appearance of a rivet, instead of a bolt.
It a principle object of the present invention to provide an improved bolt.
In accordance with one aspect of the invention, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved quick release system for motorcycle backrests.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, it is an object of the invention to provide a bolt which does not provide the appearance of a bolt, but rather appears to be riveted or otherwise attached to surface that is engaged by the head of the bolt.
The above and other objects of the invention are accomplished by a bolt which is not configured for receiving a conventional wrench (i.e. lacks a hexagonal arrangement of flat surfaces) and which lacks an axially aligned opening configured to receive and engage a screw-driver or Allen wrench. Such a bolt can be used in a quick release system for motorcycle backrests, or in a variety of other applications.
When used as part of a system for mounting motorcycle back rests, the bolt is typically used with a pair of mounting bracket plates, each of which has a channel formed therein for receiving the posts of a back rest and a pair of notches formed therein for engaging bolts on the rear fender bar of a motorcycle.
In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, the first notch extends horizontally into the side bracket plate from the proximal end of the plate, and a second notch which extends upward vertically from the bottom of the plate. The positioning of the notches allows the side bracket plates to be quickly disposed on and removed from the rear fender bar of the motorcycle with a single motion by engagement of a bolt formed in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, as related to motorcycle backrests, a retaining pin in a loaded piston is positioned adjacent to one of the notches. As the notches are moved to engage the bolts on the motorcycle, the pin extends partially across the opening of one of the notches to hold a bolt head attached to the rear fender bar within the notch and thereby inhibit removal of the side plate from the bolt.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention regarding motorcycles, the pin is attached to a locking mechanism which selectively prevents movement of the retaining pin and thereby prevents the bolt head from being accidentally withdrawn from the notch of the side bracket plate.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, the bolt head is configured to receive the side plate, has a channel for receiving the notch which is positioned immediately behind the head of the bolt. The head of the bolt is configured to appear substantially like a rivot, thereby giving the appearance that a rivet has been used rather than a conventional bolt.
In accordance with still yet another aspect of the invention, the transverse recess is used for securing the head of the bolt while it is being tightened so that a recess in axial alignment with the longitudinal axis of the shank of the bolt can be configured to receive a mounting structure, such as a military pin.